FREDERICK — The Class 3A boys soccer championship game is set as No. 1 Colorado Academy will take on No. 14 Frontier Academy on Saturday.
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(Brent Murphy/BrentMurphyPhoto.com)
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(Brent Murphy/BrentMurphyPhoto.com)
ENGLEWOOD — The Class 5A boys soccer championship game is set as No. 2 Fairview will take on No. 16 Cherry Creek on Saturday.
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(Tim Bourke/TimBourke.com)
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(Tim Bourke/TimBourke.com)
The Colorado field hockey state championship game, originally scheduled to start at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Cherry Creek High School’s Stutler Bowl, has been postponed because of heavy rain and lightning. It was determined that the field and playing conditions were not suitable for a championship game.
The title contest has been rescheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Stutler Bowl.
Cory Archuleta will be the first man to admit that he’s not primarily a football coach. But coaching has been a vital part of his adult life. He served as the baseball coach for Manitou Springs for a few years before the football job came open.
Participation numbers were down and the program wasn’t the most attractive landing spot at the time, a far cry from the late 1980’s and early 90’s when the Mustangs were wining state championships.
Archuleta had a strong relationship with the Manitou athletes because of his time with the baseball team. He was the right guy to take the program over when he was hired in 2016. This season, everything is seeming to click for Manitou.
No longer running the single wing offense like the program had done for much of the last four decades, Archuleta credits his staff of (offensive coordinator) Brandon DeMatto, (defensive coordinator) Chad Hartinger and all-around assistant Stu Jeck of helping the Mustangs usher themselves into a new era.
Now the team is winning and winning big. After topping Manual on April 23 and earning a home playoff game, Archuleta has been named this week’s Denver Broncos high school football coach of the week.
The Broncos coach of the week is selected in partnership with the Broncos. Find a complete list of winners on this page.
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(Photo courtesy of Angela Guido)
Years as head coach: 5 (19-24)
Years at Manitou Springs: 5 (4-1 this season)
Previous stops: Manitou Springs assistant coach (2012-14); Manitou Springs head coach (2016-present)
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Question: Why do you coach?
Archuleta: Well, I got into coaching because I wanted to really give something back to the sports that I played growing up and try to help kids develop as athletes and young men. That’s probably the main reason I coach and then I really have kept coaching because of the relationships that I’ve built with other people on my coaching staffs and with the kids that I’ve coached these last 27 years.
Q: Why do you coach the way that you coach?
Archuleta: I’m just not that prototypical football coach. I coach the kids the way that I coach them to be a quality young men and to treat other people with respect. They don’t need to be beat down. I’m just more of a simpler-type coach from the standpoint that I’m just not a yeller or a screamer. I’m more of a guy that wants to listen to kids and try to help them and help them develop both on and off the field.
Q: From your players’ perspective, what do you think it’s like to be coached by you?
Archuleta: I’m hoping that they know that we are as a coaching staff and myself are going to give them everything we’ve have to try to help them become the best players they can possibly be and to squeeze out all the ability that they have, and to make the most of their high school experiences. And I also think that those kids know that I’m not just their coach. I’m a guy that wants to listen to them and understand them and know that they can come and talk to me, not just about athletics, but life problems or anything like that.
Q: Since dropping your first game, the team has played outstanding football. What’s been the spark behind the last four wins?
Archuleta: It’s just that we’ve gotten better as a team. And I think that coach DeMatto, our offensive coordinator, and coach Hartinger, our defensive coordinator, have made adjustments to the talent that we have. So we didn’t really have an identity in that first game because we knew we had been missing some kids. We had some talented kids that played in that game, but I think we needed our collective group of kids as a whole; our 31 kids to be able to mesh and to improve as a football team.
Q: The last couple of years have been a struggle. Is this the kind of season, even if it’s in the spring, that can reignite passion in football at a school like Manitou?
Archuleta: Absolutely. I’m a Colorado Springs kid, so I’ve grown up in this since birth. I remember when I was in high school, that Manitou when coach (George) Rykovich was here, when coach (Rob) Quarry was with him, I remember Manitou was the football school in our city. I mean, you had guys like (former Denver Bronco) Justin Armour walking the hallways and now we’ve got his kid (Joah) playing for us.
I never thought that the day would come that the interest would kind of die down a little bit with football at Manitou. I always thought there will always be football at Manitou because it was always such a football school. And then the last couple of years, with the way that things have kind of evolved and football’s kind of been in the headlines with injuries and other things, I never thought the numbers would dwindle down into the high-teens, low-twenties like we had a couple of years ago.
So I think that seeing all this, this big senior group of kids finally playing, having the middle school kids watch the games that we’ve played in, having the elementary school kids watch how we’ve this season, I really think that we’ve gotten over that hump. And I think at Manitou, football and the interest in it is going to really going to come back strong.
Q: For years, Manitou was known as that school that ran a single wing offense and you guys have very much gotten away from that this year. Can it be a new era is the team establishing a new identity on the field?
Archuleta: Absolutely. And to be honest with you, everything I know about coaching high school football has come from coach Rykovich and coach Quarry. I’m such a protegé of Rykovich and the single wing. That’s what he’s taught me these last six, seven years that I’ve been coaching that I’ve really kind of come to know the single wing.
But Coach DeMatto and Coach Jeck wanted to switch it up a little bit and spark an interest. I think the excitement level of kind of putting the single wing to rest and bringing in something new and exciting really drew the senior group of kids that wanted to have something that was fun, wide open and something that they could really thrive in. And I think that the middle school kids, they’re running the single wing one last year this year, but I think the middle school kids see what we’ve had and how successful we’ve been. It’s been crazy. But yeah, I I think the excitement’s there.
Q: You head into the playoffs this week against the team you finished the regular season against, is there concern or relief in having to go right into a rematch with Manual?
Archuleta: There’s always a concern. I know that the pros say it, the college teams say it all the time, but it’s hard to beat somebody twice, especially in back-to-back weeks and especially against a talented group of athletes like Manual has. It’s going to be hard to beat those guys twice in a seven-day span. But I like our chances. I like the kids that we have. I like the scheme and the things that we do. And I’m really confident moving forward and going into this one.
Q: You have a lot of kids who don’t have a lot of football experience, but those basketball players are coming off a run to the state semifinals. Do you think that’ll help fight off any nerves between now and whenever the season ends?
Archuleta: Absolutely. But I also believe that we just have a group of competitive kids, whether they played basketball or they wrestled. We have a couple of wrestlers. We have kids that have given us quality minutes and quality plays this season. We wouldn’t be anywhere without the basketball kids, but the wrestling kids and kids that played other sports. We have a talented group of kids. I’m just happy and blessed to be able to coach those guys.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
GREENWOOD VILLAGE — It’s only fitting that the field hockey state championship game would end up being a rubber match between two of the state’s top programs.
Fourth-seeded Regis Jesuit and No. 2 Cherry Creek each won their respective semifinal games setting up the state title game Tuesday at the Stutler Bowl. Regis beat Colorado Academy while Cherry Creek defeated Palmer Ridge.
The Raiders and Bruins have played twice this year, with each team getting a win. Regis is trying to win its second title in three years while Cherry Creek feels this is its season to finally grasp that championship trophy.
The state championship game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at the Stutler Bowl on Tuesday.
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(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Regis Jesuit couldn’t be mad last year when Colorado came away with the win in the state championship game. But they could always get even.
After all the OVID-19 uncertainties that have plagued high school sports this year, the Raiders stayed patient. And in the state semifinals, they got their chance to avenge their state title game loss to the Mustangs, and did just that with a 3-1 win Monday at the Stutler Bowl.
The Raiders (7-1 overall) advance to their third field hockey championship game in a row. They’re seeking their second title in program history. They beat Cherry Creek 2-1 in overtime to claim gold back in 2018.
“We had to beat them in the semis,” Regis Jesuit coach Spencer Wagner said. “I told the team 14 months ago that we’d have to beat them in the semis. That’s what we had to do and that’s what we went out and did.”
Colorado Academy (7-1-2) had been nearly impossible to beat all season. But junior Lily Castiglione got Regis on the board with a goal early in the second period and all of a sudden beating an unbeaten team felt like a realistic result.
“It definitely increased our momentum and mojo for the rest of the game,” Castiglione said. “It made the impossible seem possible.”
Castiglione came up big on the defensive side as well as the Mustangs pushed the offensive attack, threatening to tie the game. She cleared the ball away from the net and shortly was set up for a perfect deflection to make the game 2-0.
Cate Lord added another goal with just under two and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter to push the lead to three goals, forcing Colorado Academy to play more aggressively in the fourth. The Raiders just allowed the game to come to them and got two corner opportunities within a minute to try and pad the lead.
Although nothing came of the attempts, precious seconds ticked off the clock for the Mustangs.
The mounting pressure combined with the Raiders’ ability to keep the Colorado Academy offense out of rhythm allowed for few scoring chances. Two corner attempts around the five-minute mark gave the Mustangs their best chance, but they still couldn’t get a shot on the net.
“We definitely knew their scorers and their assist makers and our goal was to beat them to the ball,” senior Grace Weigand said. “I was happy because I was able to be aggressive and our whole defense, I was able to trust the girls behind me.”
Brooke Wachuta ended the shutout bid for the Rangers as she scored inside the final two minutes. Regis held its back line for the remainder of the game and gets a return trip to Stutler on Tuesday as a result.
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(2) Cherry Creek 2, (3) Palmer Ridge 1
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Alexandra Michelotti didn’t hesitate when the ball came her way on a corner attempt. She got set and fired the ball toward the goal. The loud bang echoed through the Stutler Bowl leaving no doubt the goal was good and Cherry Creek was in the lead.
The Bruins (9-1) never looked back and beat the Bears 2-0 to get back to the state championship game.
Michelotti’s shot broke a scoreless tie with 5:11 left in the first quarter. Emily Sands added to the lead as she scored with just 40 seconds remaining in the first to send the Cherry Creek students into a frenzy and inching the Bruins closer to a championship showdown with Regis Jesuit.
The two teams met in the 2018 state title game with Regis getting a 2-1 win in overtime. In fact, the Raiders have been a consistent foil in Creek’s attempts to come away with a state championship in recent years.
The Bears (5-1-4) had their scoring chances in the second half but couldn’t convert to cut into the Cherry Creek lead until there was 6:44 left in the game when Leah Hasstedt scored Palmer Ridge’s first goal of the game. But they couldn’t pull any closer and the Bears’ playoff loss was just their first loss of the season.
This will mark the eighth state championship game appearance for Cherry Creek. They are 2-5 all-time when playing for a title and last won in 2007 with a 1-0 win over Colorado Academy.
In the final coaches poll of the season, Mountain Vista, Windsor, Eaton, Wiggins and Fleming were voted No. 1 in their respective classifications.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Complete rankings are below.
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Voted upon by coaches around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing bcochi@chsaa.org. These rankings are part of the postseason seeding process.
| Class 5A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Mountain Vista (11) | 13-0 | 193 | 1 | 3-0 |
| 2 | Rampart (1) | 8-1 | 153 | 3 | 2-0 |
| 3 | Cherry Creek | 13-1 | 138 | 4 | 2-0 |
| 4 | Ralston Valley (1) | 14-0 | 135 | 7 | 4-0 |
| 5 | Cherokee Trail | 13-1 | 132 | 2 | 2-0 |
| 6 | Columbine | 10-1 | 123 | 6 | 3-1 |
| 7 | Chaparral | 9-2 | 110 | 5 | 3-0 |
| 8 | Fossil Ridge | 12-1 | 77 | 12 | 4-0 |
| 9 | Legend | 8-3 | 66 | 8 | 3-0 |
| 10 | Valor Christian | 7-4 | 58 | 10 | 3-2 |
| 11 | Grandview | 10-4 | 57 | 8 | 1-1 |
| 12 | Chatfield | 7-4 | 51 | 11 | 1-2 |
| 12 | Pueblo West | 13-1 | 51 | 15 | 3-0 |
| 14 | Denver East | 13-1 | 47 | – | 3-0 |
| 15 | Fort Collins | 10-4 | 46 | 13 | 3-0 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Liberty 26, Pine Creek 20, Loveland 11, Fruita Monument 10, Ponderosa 9, Lakewood 8, Brighton 7, Rocky Mountain 6, Castle View 5, Regis Jesuit 5, Douglas County 5, Broomfield 4, Denver South 3, Highlands Ranch 2, Heritage 1, Horizon 1 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Liberty (14) | |||||
| Class 4A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Windsor (8) | 13-0 | 220 | 3 | 2-0 |
| 2 | Cheyenne Mountain (3) | 10-2 | 217 | 1 | 3-0 |
| 3 | Palisade (2) | 11-2 | 156 | 8 | 3-0 |
| 4 | Coronado (1) | 10-0 | 155 | 4 | 1-0 |
| 5 | Eagle Valley | 10-1 | 151 | 8 | 2-0 |
| 5 | Palmer Ridge (2) | 8-5 | 151 | 2 | 0-2 |
| 7 | Mead | 9-3 | 147 | 5 | 2-2 |
| 8 | Discovery Canyon | 8-3 | 119 | 7 | 1-1 |
| 9 | Niwot | 11-2 | 103 | 6 | 0-0 |
| 10 | Durango | 10-3 | 98 | 10 | 1-1 |
| 11 | Frederick | 12-2 | 61 | 11 | 1-0 |
| 12 | Skyview | 13-0 | 51 | – | 4-0 |
| 13 | Holy Family | 8-3 | 50 | 13 | 1-0 |
| 14 | Woodland Park | 8-1 | 48 | 12 | 0-0 |
| 15 | Thompson Valley | 9-3 | 37 | 14 | 0-1 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Erie 31, The Classical Academy 29, Thomas Jefferson 29, Lewis-Palmer 12, Montrose 11, Steamboat Springs 8, Lincoln 7, Mullen 7, Pueblo South 6, Evergreen 4, Roosevelt 3, Fort Morgan 3, Golden 3, George Washington 2, Northfield 1 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Thomas Jefferson (15) | |||||
| Class 3A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Eaton (16) | 14-0 | 309 | 1 | 4-0 |
| 2 | Sterling (1) | 12-2 | 263 | 2 | 3-0 |
| 3 | Lamar (2) | 14-0 | 254 | 3 | 3-0 |
| 4 | Montezuma-Cortez (2) | 12-0 | 248 | 5 | 1-0 |
| 5 | University | 11-2 | 211 | 8 | 2-0 |
| 6 | Bayfield | 9-4 | 163 | 7 | 1-1 |
| 7 | Lutheran | 9-3 | 157 | 4 | 1-1 |
| 8 | DSST: Montview | 12-1 | 149 | 6 | 3-0 |
| 9 | Alamosa | 10-3 | 136 | 10 | 2-0 |
| 10 | Prospect Ridge Academy | 12-1 | 109 | 11 | 1-0 |
| 11 | Resurrection Christian | 8-4 | 108 | 8 | 1-1 |
| 12 | Middle Park | 11-3 | 89 | 13 | 2-1 |
| 13 | Manitou Springs | 9-3 | 83 | 14 | 3-1 |
| 14 | Platte Valley | 8-6 | 60 | 12 | 2-1 |
| 15 | Liberty Common | 8-6 | 44 | – | 1-2 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| The Vanguard School 27, Centauri 21, St. Mary’s 16, Coal Ridge 12, Bishop Machebeuf 11, Valley 10, Colorado Springs Christian 9, Faith Christian 7, Eagle Ridge Academy 5, Frontier Academy 5, DSST: Byers 4, Bennett 2, Delta 2, Ellicott 2, Pagosa Springs 2, Highland 1, James Irwin 1 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Faith Christian (15) | |||||
| Class 2A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Wiggins (8) | 12-2 | 199 | 1 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Denver Christian (5) | 12-0 | 192 | 2 | 6-0 |
| 3 | Meeker (1) | 12-0 | 181 | 3 | 3-0 |
| 4 | Sedgwick County | 12-2 | 166 | 4 | 2-0 |
| 5 | Fowler | 10-3 | 143 | 5 | 2-1 |
| 6 | Vail Christian | 9-0 | 123 | 6 | 2-0 |
| 7 | Dayspring Christian Academy | 12-2 | 117 | 7 | 3-1 |
| 8 | Vail Mountain | 9-2 | 77 | 8 | 1-0 |
| 9 | Del Norte | 10-4 | 67 | 10 | 1-1 |
| 10 | Soroco | 10-3 | 65 | 11 | 1-2 |
| 11 | Holyoke | 10-4 | 64 | – | 4-0 |
| 12 | Limon | 7-7 | 50 | 8 | 2-1 |
| 13 | Heritage Christian | 10-4 | 36 | 12 | 2-1 |
| 14 | Addenbrooke Classical Academy | 7-2 | 33 | – | 2-1 |
| 15 | Union Colony Prep | 10-4 | 32 | 13 | 1-2 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Rye 31, Dawson School 23, Sargent 22, Telluride 13, Dolores 12, Yuma 11, Hoehne 7, West Grand 5, Rocky Ford 5, Monte Vista 4, Byers 2 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| Rye (14), Dawson School (15) | |||||
| Class 1A | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RK | TEAM | W-L | PTS | PVS | LW |
| 1 | Fleming (3) | 12-2 | 215 | 1 | 1-2 |
| 2 | Wiley (3) | 13-1 | 205 | 3 | 4-0 |
| 3 | Merino (3) | 12-2 | 204 | 5 | 3-0 |
| 3 | Simla (5) | 14-0 | 204 | 2 | 3-0 |
| 5 | Stratton/Liberty | 13-1 | 163 | 4 | 2-1 |
| 6 | Briggsdale | 11-3 | 142 | 8 | 2-0 |
| 7 | Springfield | 12-2 | 120 | 6 | 2-1 |
| 8 | Sangre de Cristo | 11-3 | 114 | 7 | 2-0 |
| 9 | Otis | 11-3 | 102 | 15 | 4-0 |
| 10 | Kit Carson | 9-5 | 101 | 8 | 1-1 |
| 11 | Belleview Christian (2) | 11-0 | 89 | 11 | 4-0 |
| 12 | Dove Creek | 11-2 | 77 | 10 | 3-1 |
| 13 | Genoa-Hugo/Karval | 8-4 | 60 | 12 | 1-1 |
| 14 | McClave | 9-5 | 41 | 14 | 0-1 |
| 15 | Elbert | 10-2 | 30 | 13 | 3-0 |
| Others receiving votes: | |||||
| Weldon Valley 12, Haxtun 10, Kim/Branson 8, Cotopaxi 6, Flagler 4, Cheraw 4, Idalia 3, South Baca [Campo/Vilas/Pritchett] 2, Flatirons Academy 2, Hi-Plains 1, La Veta 1 | |||||
| Dropped out | |||||
| None | |||||
A complete schedule for the Class 5A regional volleyball tournaments in 2021.
Order of play at each regional: Team 1 vs. Team 3, Team 2 vs. Team 3, Team 1 vs. Team 2.
All regional winners advance to the state tournament. Teams that are removed from the postseason field for any reason will not replaced.
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The Colorado field hockey state championship will be decided in the next two days, beginning with semifinals on Monday and the championship game on Tuesday.
Below is information on the schedule, spectator info and how to purchase tickets.
SEMIFINALS:
Monday, April 26
FINALS:
Tuesday, April 27, at 7 p.m.
SITE:
Stutler Bowl (Cherry Creek School District)
4700 S Yosemite
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
SPECTATOR ENTRY/SEATING/PARKING:
TICKET PRICES:
Adult………………………………………………………………………………………………….. $10.00
Student (K-12)/Senior Citizens (age 60)…………………………………………………… $5.00
A complete schedule for the Class 4A regional volleyball tournaments in 2021.
Order of play at each regional: Team 1 vs. Team 3, Team 2 vs. Team 3, Team 1 vs. Team 2.
All regional winners advance to the state tournament. Teams that are removed from the postseason field for any reason will not replaced.
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A complete schedule for the Class 3A regional volleyball tournaments in 2021.
Order of play at each regional: Team 1 vs. Team 3, Team 2 vs. Team 3, Team 1 vs. Team 2.
All regional winners advance to the state tournament. Teams that are removed from the postseason field for any reason will not replaced.
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